


Moving Forward

by lovepollution



Category: The Split (TV 2018)
Genre: Apologies, Baby Names, Canon Era, Canon Het Relationship, Canon Relationships, Canon Universe, Divorce, Domestic, Drama, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, In Character, Jealousy, Kissing, Lawyers, London, Love, Marriage Proposal, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Moving In Together, Neck Kissing, Oral Sex, Post-Divorce, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Season/Series 03, Pregnancy, References to Canon, Romance, Sequel, Sex, Sister-Sister Relationship, Smut, Tags Contain Spoilers, Unplanned Pregnancy, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000, Wordcount: Over 10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:28:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25752112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovepollution/pseuds/lovepollution
Summary: Hannah and Christie navigate life as a couple.Post-series 2 sequel toIt'll Never Be Over.
Relationships: Hannah Stern/Christie Carmichael
Kudos: 17





	Moving Forward

**Author's Note:**

> As the summary says, this is a sequel to [It'll Never Be Over](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24885433); so if you haven't read that first, please do because this will make a bit more sense than it does without it.
> 
> This was a total labour of love for me, mainly written for myself, but I'm putting it out there for anyone else who might want to read it. I actually included the _tiniest_ bit of smut here too (the first time I've written any in what must be over ten years), so here's hoping I pulled that off.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

“You need to be quiet,” Hannah whispered, as she gingerly opened the front door to Christie. “I think Liv’s still awake.”

“I’ll do my best,” he whispered back, his tone slightly mocking. Hannah took his hand and led him cautiously up the stairs and into her bedroom.

They had been seeing each other again for almost two months now. Hannah had managed to sneak time with him during the working week and at weekends when the kids were with Nathan, but this was the first time she’d agreed to Christie staying the night at her home when her children were there - with the caveat that he leave before they woke up.

“Why do I feel like,” Christie said, as he kissed down her neck, “I’m 16-years-old again and sneaking into my girlfriend’s bedroom.”

“Your teenage years sound very different from mine,” Hannah replied, eyebrow arched, as she did her utmost to keep a semblance of focus. “All I remember about being 16 is...studying for my GCSEs.”

“That was only because I wasn’t around to corrupt you,” he said, smiling as his hands worked at the buttons of Hannah’s blouse and he began to slip it off her shoulders. Once she was sitting back on the bed, he stood back and swiftly removed his t-shirt, before lowering himself down over her and continuing where he’d left off.

“Mum, where’s my-” Liv said, as she walked through the bedroom door, stopping abruptly and turning on her heel when she was greeted by the sight of her mother half-naked and with a man who certainly wasn’t her father.

“Liv,” Hannah called after her daughter, jumping up quickly and leaving Christie sitting alone on the bed. She pulled her blouse back on, and hastily attempted to do up the buttons, while chasing her daughter down the hallway and into her bedroom, only to get the door slammed in her face. Hannah knocked. “Liv, please.” She took the silence as permission enough to enter.

Liv was sitting on the bed when Hannah entered, scowling at her mother. “How long has this been going on? Was it before dad left?”

Hannah shifted awkwardly and chose silence over a lie.

“That’s why he left, isn’t it?” Liv accused, her eyes flashing angrily. “You and Christie...”

“It’s not that simple...” Hannah tried to argue.

“I think it is,” Liv spat back with venom. “You were having _sex_ with someone else. You cheated on dad.”

“Yeah, well, he cheated on me too,” Hannah fired back frustratedly, losing her cool with words she’d later beat herself up over.

“I’m going to spend the night at Innes’s,” Liv said, throwing clothing into a bag at the same time.

“It’s late, how will you get-” Hannah asked, as Liv pushed passed her.

“I’ll take an Uber,” Liv shouted the answer in anticipation to her mother’s question, not even turning around to look at her as she tore down the stairs and slammed the front door behind her with a heavy thud.

“What’s going on?” Tillie said, rubbing sleep from her eyes and she stood next to Hannah.

“Nothing to worry about, Liv’s just going to stay the night with her friend,” Hannah told her youngest daughter in the calmest tone possible, shepherding her back into bed and soothing her with a peck on the forehead. She did a quick check on Vinnie in his room too, only to find that he was still fast asleep, and blissfully unaware of any ruckus.

“I take it that didn’t go well,” Christie said, now fully clothed, as he watched Hannah come back into her bedroom and close the door quietly behind her.

“You could say that.”

Hannah sat down on the edge of the bed next to Christie, the tension visibly easing from her body when he placed his arm around her. She sighed and leant her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as he ran his fingers up and down her arm.

“She was going to have to find out one day,” Christie reasoned, trying to make her feel better.

“Yeah, but my plan wasn’t for her to find out when you and I were…” Hannah screwed her face up, “...half naked.”

Although it was a huge weight to longer have to actively sneak around like before, she was still hesitant to be open with her children. She wasn’t sure how they - or more specifically Liv - would take news of their relationship. Hannah had a dinner planned in her mind, one with her, the kids, and Christie; there, they would tell the kids they were just starting to see each other - even if it were a half truth - and ease them into the idea of them as a couple.

Christie chuckled, and Hannah lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him, unamused.

“Oh c’mon, it’s kind of funny, right?” Christie laughed, a spark of amusement in his eyes. “Don’t tell me you won’t laugh about it one day.”

“It’s...kind of funny,” Hannah agreed with reluctance, although a smile began to break through her hard demeanour. “OK, it’s funny,” she said, letting out a chuckle.

“She’ll get over it,” he shrugged, “you know how dramatic teenagers are.”

“Until Nathan tells her I slept with _you_ the night before our wedding.” Hannah said, flinching at the thought. “I...I might not be the main target of her anger soon anyway,” she continued, managing to find a positive. Christie looked at her curiously. “I found out today that Nathan is officially seeing Chloe, his...student.”

“His student?” Christie questioned, his brow raised. “Wow, isn’t she about 25?”

“I believe so,” Hannah nodded. “Not that I’m sure if you have room to judge...”

“Hey, I may have been an immature idiot, but it was only because I couldn’t have the woman I loved.” Christie was struck by an idea: “Huh, maybe that’s what Nathan is doing too.”

“He can do what he likes,” Hannah said. “There’s no going back,” she gazed at him tenderly, and cautiously took the uncharacteristic leap of laying her emotions on the line. “I only want to go forward. With you.”

Christie grinned widely and kissed her. “I want that too. I want that so much that I can’t believe I’m hearing you say those words.”

“Must be the effect you have on me.”

“I always knew I was a positive influence,” he joked, glint in his eye.

Liv returned home the next day, although she didn’t speak to Hannah all week, only finally engaging with single syllable words after she’d spent time with Nathan, whom Hannah assumed had become the new target of her teenage ire.

“Hey,” Hannah said gently to Liv, as she entered her room and sat next to her on the bed. Even though she didn’t greet her, the fact that Liv removed her headphones was a good start. “I know this is...hard, but you and your brother and sister are always going to come first. It’s just sometimes, we need to find...happiness in other places or with other people, too.”

Liv stared, unblinking. “Dad is seeing that girl he works with.”

Hannah nodded. “Yeah, I heard.”

“He gave us the same speech, about how we’ll ‘always be number one’,” Liv said, rolling her eyes. “I told him about you and…” she swallowed, “Christie, but he didn’t say much.”

Hannah nodded coolly, but internally felt a wave of relief that Nathan had obviously chosen to keep the details of what she and Christie had done the night before the wedding to himself.

“I love you, and your dad loves you. Don’t forget that.” Hannah leant forward and placed a kiss on top of Liv’s head, who for her part offered the tiniest smile, which in turn, gave her mother the tiniest of hopes.

* * *

It was five days since Christie and Hannah had been rumbled by Liv, and Christie had barely heard from Hannah since. While he understood she was busy, her lack of communication was troubling him. His texts either went unanswered or he got single word replies, and every time he’d called her, all he got was voicemail. There was only one thing for it: he needed to confront her to find out what was going on.

He knew from experience that she’d often be the last one to leave the office, so although it was a couple of hours past Hannah’s official finishing time, he took a gamble that she might still be there. If a serious conversation needed to be had, it would be easier there than at her home with her children around.

Christie was relieved to recognise a familiar face on security duty in the lobby of the Noble Hale Defoe offices. Luckily, the guard remembered him too and let him go up with a, “Oh, go on then,” and a wink.

The office was predictably empty save for the cleaning staff, but he knew Hannah hadn’t left for the evening as her bag and coat were still in her office. It didn’t take him long to work out where she would be.

Sure enough, he climbed the stairs and opened the door to the roof space and there she was, looking out at London below. Lost in thought, she didn’t notice he was there until he was a meter away.

“Hi,” he started softly and reached a hand out to touch her shoulder.

“Hi,” she replied, not as surprised to see him as he’d anticipated. She swallowed and lowered her head.

“Are you alright?” Hannah neither replied or looked up, leaving Christie feeling more frustrated. “You’ve hardly spoken to me the last few days. You’re ignoring my texts and rejecting my calls. I thought things were going well between us. I feel like I’m going mad, but I don’t know what’s wrong. Did I...do something?”

Her head remained down as she shook it. “I...” she stuttered.

“Hannah, will you talk to me? We’ve come this far, I’m not going to let you shut me out again.”

She finally looked up, taking one huge breath before turning to make eye contact with him. “I’ve just… I needed some time to think. The thing is...I think I’m...” Christie continued to search her face for answers. “I think I’m pregnant.”

He was open mouthed for a moment, but his face was quickly overtaken by an incredulous happiness. “You think, you don’t know?”

“I thought it was menopause, you know...but I was at Rose’s the other day and I saw the tests lying around, so...” she shrugged. “It was positive. I would need to see a doctor to be 100 percent, but...”

“Oh my God!” he beamed, clasping her face between his hands and kissing her. “I can’t believe it.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Hannah replied, markedly less joyful.

“Wait,” he said, his face falling as he was struck by a sudden fear. “You are happy about this? You don’t want to-”

Hannah cut Christie off before he had a chance to finish. “Oh no, no! I wouldn’t...I couldn’t...” She shook her head firmly. “It’s just, it’s a shock. I thought my days of changing nappies and trying to get the smell of…” her hand went to her hair as she scrunched her nose in disgust, “baby vomit out of my hair was far behind me.”

“You won’t be alone, I’ll be there for everything,” he reassured her.

“I know, I just…” she sighed, looking slightly defeated. “It’s going to take some getting used to.”

“For me too,” Christie admitted, still radiating joy even in his shocked state. “But wow, it’s...it’s incredible.”

“It is,” she smiled slightly, still feeling unsure and overwhelmed.

“Can you come over to my place? We could talk some more,” he suggested, before adding: “but there’s no pressure, we don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”

Hannah gave a relieved smile and nodded. “Thank you.”

Sensing her desire for comfort now she’d finally told him what had been buzzing in her head for days, Christie opened his arms and Hannah gladly walked in to them and closed her eyes, letting his soothing presence wash over her.

“You look worried,” he said to her, sometime later as they were sitting on the sofa in his flat

“I’m just...I’m thinking about how I’m going to break the news at work, and of all the time off I’ll need to take.”

“Timing was never our strong suit, huh?” he smiled, going silent for a few seconds before he ventured his next thoughts. “You know, I was thinking...I could do the whole stay-at-home dad thing, if you want.”

She turned to him, surprise written all over her face. “You’re serious? You really want to do that?”

He nodded. “I know in the past I said I didn’t want kids, and I didn’t...not if they weren’t with you.” He shrugged a little and smiled. “I’ve waited so long for this, I don’t want to miss a moment.”

His confession made her feel the need to unburden herself of something that had come back into her head over the past few days. “The reason I didn’t tell you I was pregnant, all those years ago...”

“It’s fine, we’ve talked about it. It’s in the past.”

“No, but there’s something else.” He looked at her curiously. “I didn’t think you were ready, but also I think I was....scared that it could have been yours,” she tried to read his expression but got nowhere. “I was scared about what that meant. It meant I would’ve had to have been honest with myself and have ended my marriage. I was a...kid, and it was easier to just tell myself it was Nathan’s and carry on the way things were.”

Christie frowned and looked away. “I deserved to at least know.”

“You did,” she nodded sincerely, “and I’m sorry.”

Christie gave a nod echoing Hannah’s in reply, and then looked at her and gave a reassuring smile. “I know. As I said, it’s the past.” He thought momentarily before he gave his next question. “But did you ever...think about it, over the years, how it might have been? You and me and a child?”

Hannah swallowed, looking away. “Sometimes I did. Sometimes I wondered what if I’d made a different choice.” She thought for a moment. “What you said that time about a 50-50 chance…” She looked at him to make sure he had a spark of recognition to what she was referencing before she continued. “If the...child,” she swallowed, still finding the imagery of ‘child’ difficult to confront, “had had curly dark hair and hazel eyes, you really would’ve loved it just as much as if it were blonde and blue eyed?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “Because it would’ve been yours, and that would’ve made it ours. It would’ve made it mine.”

Hannah smiled, tears pricking the back of her eyes from his pure sincerity.

* * *

“I erm...” Hannah avoided Nina’s gaze as she stood in front of her sister’s desk. “I need to tell you something.”

“OK,” Nina looked at her with concern. “This sounds serious.”

“Well, it is, I suppose. It’s just that erm...” Hannah ran a hand over her hair in an act of nervous displacement, while her sister watched her eagerly. “I’m going to...have a baby.”

“What?” Nina blinked in disbelief.

“Yeah, it erm...it turns out, I’m pregnant,” she said, finishing her sentence as if she were asking a question.

“I...wow. I don’t know what to say. Who is…” Nina frowned, unsure of how to phrase the delicate question she wanted to ask. “Is it…?”

“It’s Christie’s, if that’s what you’re asking. We...reunited a few weeks ago.”

“Oh, OK. Have you told him?” Nina asked, and Hannah nodded. “And he’s happy about it?”

“He’s over the moon,” Hannah tipped her head back a degree as she spoke of Christie’s joy. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so excited.”

“That’s great,” Nina said with enthusiasm, sensing her sister's uncertainty and trying to gee her up as best as she could.

“It is.” Hannah agreed. “But it’s just so… This is not how I was picturing my mid-40s. I was finally starting to get my career back on track after the time I’d had off for the kids…” Hannah rubbed at her temple. “But then, Christie says he wants to be a stay-at-home dad.”

Nina cocked her head with surprise. “You don’t believe him?”

“No, I do, I believe he thinks he wants that _now_ ; but when it comes down to dirty nappies and sleepless nights and not having work to escape to…” She closed her eyes. “It’s just…why does this feel like when the kids wanted a puppy?” she said with a sigh. “They pleaded and pleaded, swore they’d walk it, but of course the novelty wore off within a week and we ended up having to give it back because neither Nathan or I had the time to look after it.”

“Are you really comparing your future child to a dog?” Nina said, head tilted to the side, eyes narrowed and lips pursed as she tried to contain her obvious amusement.

“You know what I mean,” Hannah rolled her eyes at her sister.

“I think it’s pretty obvious Christie would be a great dad. I mean, he absolutely worships you, so can you _imagine_ him with this little being that’s part him and part you?”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Hannah conceded. “I’m sorry, I know you probably don’t want to hear all this, but I don’t know who else to talk to. It doesn’t seem right to talk to Rose… I don’t know how I’m going to tell her. There she is, s-struggling to get pregnant, and then there I am, 13 years her senior and it happens without even _trying_.”

“Some powerful stuff Christie’s got clearly.” Hannah recoiled slightly. “You’re right, that mental image was a bit much, even for me,” Nina admitted. “I’ll be honest, I’m just glad I don’t have to go through this whole pregnancy thing alone. I’ve still got a few months until this one is ready to come out,” she patted her almost five-months pregnant belly, “so there’s still some prenatal yoga I can drag you to.”

“Oh God, I forgot about the endless classes and appointments,” Hannah said with dread, “as if being pregnant weren’t punishment enough.”

“C’mon, it’ll be kind of fun,” Nina said, her tone as light and encouraging as she could make it. “All those sweaty people packed in one room is the closest I’m going to get to a club for a long time…” She dropped her head back in disbear. “Fuck, I miss clubs. And bars. And alcohol; I really miss alcohol.”

“I’m proud of you,” Hannah said. “Going to meetings, sorting things out. I think this baby will be really good for you.”

Nina blushed. “Yeah, me too.”

Hannah sighed. “I think I’m going to see if Rose will meet me for lunch so I can break the news to her. I’m planning to tell the kids later and I know Liv won’t be able to keep her mouth shut, so...it’s better she knows sooner rather than later, but I’m not looking forward to it.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks, I think I might need it,” Hannah replied, as she was walking from her sister's office, already typing out the text to invite her youngest sister for a lunchtime catch up.

“I made sandwiches,” Rose said buoyantly, sitting herself next to Hannah on the bench they met at on the rare lunchtimes when the weather permitted. “OK, I actually went to M&S and _bought_ sandwiches, but that’s pretty much the same thing, right?”

Hannah smiled and nodded in an attempt to mask her internal distraction. “I erm… I asked you to meet me for lunch because I wanted to...talk to you.”

“OK...” Rose put the sandwich she had been about to eat down and looked at her sister with apprehension.

“Well, first I suppose I should tell you that I’m...Christie and I…” she rambled. “We’re...together.”

Rose nodded, looking entirely unsurprised. “I kind of got that,” she said, pushing her hair behind her ear.

“But there’s...more,” Hannah went on to add, looking down to make the next part easier to say. “I’m pregnant.”

Rose was quiet for a moment and it took Hannah a few seconds to get the courage to look up and read her expression. “That’s… Congratulations,” she smiled warmly.

“I know this might be hard for you, after...” Hannah stopped short using the word miscarriage.

“It’s actually...” Rose said, biting her lip coyly. “I should tell you something too.”

Hannah studied Rose’s face and saw she was trying very hard to hold in her joy. “You’re not…?”

“I am,” Rose beamed. “I’m pregnant.”

Hannah broke into a broad grin. “Oh my God!”

“I’m trying not to get my hopes up, it’s still early but, so far so good.”

“This means that you, me and Nina will all have babies under one at the same time,” Hannah said, amazed at the turn fate had taken.

“We can share childcare duties,” Rose grinned.

“You’d actually be sharing them with Christie, not me. He’s...he’s going to stay at home with the baby while I go back to work. For the first year anyway.”

Rose blinked, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “That’s very...modern of him. I never really pictured him as the stay-at-home dad type.”

Hannah concurred with her sister: “Me neither, but he...he wants to do it.”

“Well, good for Christie,” Rose said with genuine feeling. “I might try and wrangle James into doing the same, especially if he hadn’t found another job by then.”

“Any news on the job front?” Hannah asked.

“He’s looking, but I don’t think his heart is in it,” Rose sighed. “But we’re going to need more than what I’m earning with a baby, especially since I’ll need so much time off. Have you told mum yet, about the baby?”

Hannah let out a sharp breath. “That is something I’m...working up to. I’ll have to tell her about me and Christie too.”

“Strength in numbers?” Rose proposed. “We can tell her our big news at the same time if you want.”

Hannah smiled and hugged her sister. “Thank you, but...I think I need to tell her alone. I think she’ll take your news much better than mine. I’m so excited for you and she will be too.”

“I’m excited for you; new man,” she bobbed her head as she spoke, “new baby…”

“It’s...crazy,” Hannah said, shaking her head in disbelief. “If you’d have told me this would be my life a year ago, I would’ve...laughed in your face.”

“Well, you know what they say: ‘The only constant is change’.”

“Been reading Greek philosophy?” Hannah questioned, eyebrow arched.

“Actually,” Rose screwed up her face playfully, “I just saw it on one of those ‘inspirational’ Facebook posts.”

Following the lead of her sister, Hannah burst into laughter.

On the walk back to the office, Hannah decided to call Christie. She had told him that morning of her plan to talk to Nina and hopefully Rose, so it seemed only right that she fill him in on the day's events.

“Hey,” he answered. “How’d it go?”

“Really well actually,” Hannah replied, the smile evident in her voice. “Nina is happy to have someone else to drag to antenatal classes, and Rose…” she pursed her lips and debated before she continued. “I probably shouldn’t say since it’s still so early, but...Rose is pregnant too.”

Christie took a second to reply, shocked by what he’d just heard. “Oh wow, that’s great.”

“It’s crazy, all of us all the same time...” Hannah laughed. “But, it’s great.”

“You still want me to come over later?”

“Yeah, I think I might need you for moral support. I’m going to tell the kids.”

Christie exhaled and took a second to reply. “That’s...pretty big.” Hannah heard rumbling in the background. “Yeah, yeah, OK, I’m coming now,” he said to someone in the room. “They’re calling me for this meeting, I’ve got to go. But I’ll come around tonight, seven?”

“Yeah, seven.”

“OK, I love you,” he told her in a hurried but nonetheless sincere tone.

“I love you, too.” As she pressed ‘end’ on the call, a contented smile played on her lips, happy it had become so natural for them to casually exchange I love you’s.

Later that evening, Christie had come to Hannah’s house to spend some time with her. Once Liv had returned home, they’d made a quick exit from the living area and were currently sitting on the sofa in Hannah’s bedroom.

“How are you feeling? Ready to break the news?” Christie asked her.

Hannah scowled, deep in thought, as she tried hard not to bite her nails. “Not really.” She sighed. “And I-I know it’s still...early and something could go wrong, but it’s such _huge_ news, I can’t keep it from the kids.”

Christie nodded empathetically. “Do you want me to do it with you?” he asked, feeling the tension radiating from Hannah like a palpable heat.

“Thanks,” she gave him a tight smile, “but I think it’s better if I tell them by myself.”

Christie nodded. “Good luck, but it’ll be fine.”

Hannah nodded in reply, although her face told him she wasn’t too convinced.

“Liv,” Hannah shouted for her daughter when she reached the living coming dining space. A minute later, Liv made an appearance.

“What?” she asked petulantly.

“Can you sit down?” Hannah asked, gesturing to an empty chair at the table she, Vinnie and Tillie were already seated at. Liv pulled out the chair and slumped down in an exaggerated fashion.

“Go on then,” Liv demanded of her mother, who had let several seconds of silence pass.

“Well, you know that I’ve been... _seeing_ Christie,” Hannah looked intently at her three children as they sat across the table from her. “Well-”

“Is he moving in?” Liv asked, stony faced at the prospect.

“No, he’s not...not yet, anyway. But,” she took a deep breath, “I have some other news. I’m going to have a baby.”

Hannah was greeted by stunned silence.

“But aren’t you a bit...” Liv screwed up her face, “old.”

“I’m 44 not…” Hannah frowned, disgruntled, “...64. It’s still early stages, so...anything could go wrong, but I-”

“I can’t deal with this right now,” Liv said, cutting Hannah off, as she stood from the table in the most dramatic fashion possible. “I’m going to stay at dad’s,” she continued, swiftly exiting the room.

“I’ll text you,” Hannah shouted, jumping slightly at the sound of Liv slamming the door carelessly behind her. She held her head in her hands for a moment, before she realised she hadn’t addressed her two youngest children. “So, do you have any questions?”

“Is it a girl or a boy?” Tillie asked.

“It’s too soon to tell yet, but I’ll let you know when I find out,” she said, relieved that Tillie seemed at least somewhat engaged with the idea of a new sibling. “Do you have any questions, Vinnie?”

Vinnie, quite unfazed by the news he’d just heard, shook his head no. “Can I go and finish my game now?”

“Sure,” Hannah smiled, happy that the news at least hadn’t caused any meltdowns for two out of three.

“How was it?” Christie asked as Hannah came back into the bedroom.

“Liv was...not happy, but Tillie and Vinnie took it well at least.”

“Liv will cool down,” Christie reassured Hannah. “She just needs time to get used to the idea.”

“Yeah,” Hannah sighed. “I’m just tired of all this...mess. I wish things could be easier.”

“Me too,” he said, pulling her close to him with an arm around her shoulders, he kissed the top of her head as she closed her eyes and melted into his touch. “But it’ll get better. We’ll weather the storm, together.”

* * *

Ruth was shockingly happy when Hannah told her about Christie and the pregnancy. “I’ve seen how miserable Nathan has made you,” she told her daughter, “so if Christie, and this baby, is what makes you happy, you should grab it with both hands.”

When Hannah told her mother that Christie was going to stay at home with the baby, Ruth was even more impressed (“I’m glad to see he’s finally taking his responsibilities seriously,” she told Hannah, not even the cool way she delivered the words detracting from the sense of how pleased she was).

About the only person left to tell was Nathan, but Hannah wasn’t sure if she should tell him at all. What was the etiquette for informing the man you were divorcing that you were pregnant with the child of the lover whom you’d cheated on him with? Regardless, as she should’ve anticipated, Liv got ahead of her and told him before she had the chance.

Nathan kissed Tillie and Vinnie on the head as he bid farewell to them on Sunday evening during the routine dropoff on the doorstep of what was once his family home. They hurried past Hannah, who stood in the doorway, and inside the house.

“Vinnie’s maths homework is in his bag,” Nathan told her, as they stood awkwardly on the doorstep. “Tillie has a poem to learn for Wednesday; we went over it, but if you could just look at it again with her before then.”

Hannah nodded. “I will, thanks.”

Nathan echoed her nod and turned to leave, before thinking better of himself and deciding he should acknowledge the news Liv had imparted to him. “I hear...congratulations are in order.”

“Erm...” Hannah swallowed. “Yeah, thank you. I suppose Liv told you?”

Nathan nodded. “She’ll...come round to the idea. It’ll just take some getting used to.” 

Although he was discussing his daughter, Hannah couldn’t help but feel the words were heavy with extra meaning towards how he had begun to feel about her relationship with Christie.

“I hope so.”

“Well, erm...” Nathan fumbled his words a little. “I’ll see you next week I suppose.”

“Yeah, bye,” Hannah smiled, grateful they were finally able to be cordial with each other.

* * *

As usual, Monday morning rolled around sooner than Hannah would’ve liked.

“Erm,” Anna - who was still settling into her role as Maggie’s replacement - said, popping her head into the office. “Melanie…” she frowned trying to remember the name, “Acker...no, Ickma-“

“Aickman,” Hannah corrected her, without bothering to move her eyes up from her desk.

“Right, Melanie _Aickman_ is at reception and she wants to see you.”

Looking up from her work, Hannah brought her pinched fingers to her lips as she contemplated what Melanie might want. “Thanks Anna, you can...send her through,” she said finally with reluctance. 

A minute later, there was a new knock on Hannah’s door.

“Come in,” Hannah called.

“Hannah,” Melanie addressed her with her usual manner of seriousness verging on condescension.

“Melanie,” Hannah nodded towards the woman, who was impeccably dressed as always. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m here on behalf of Nathan.” Hannah tensed. “He has an _offer_ he’d like you to look over.” She handed a sealed envelope across the desk. “No great hurry, but if you could just read that and get back to me before the end of the week.”

“I’ll do that,” Hannah agreed, already feeling dread on what the contents of the envelope might contain.

Melanie went to leave, but stopped before opening the door and turned back around. “Just so you know, he went _against_ my advice for this.” Hannah just looked at her blankly. “So, just remember that when you’re reading it.” With that, she was gone, flash of an expensive emerald green coat behind her.

Later that evening - as had become newly routine - Christie ended what had been a draining day in court by bypassing his flat and heading straight to Hannah’s house.

“I really should give you a key,” Hannah beamed as she opened the front door, “with a keyring with a pair of...” she thought for a moment, “Wellington boots on it.”

“Wellington boots?” Christie asked, his face crinkling in curious amusement.

“They’re English, aren’t they?” she paused, thinking for a second. “Anyway,” she continued, “long day?” she asked a tired looking Christie, who was currently still standing on her doorstep.

“Oh, you know,” he shrugged, leaning in to kiss her. A sense of relaxed relief at being near her at the end of a hard day washed over him as he followed her into the house.

It was 8:30pm, the youngest kids were in bed and Liv was out with friends, and Hannah - who had changed into leggings and t-shirt - had been unable to fight off hunger and had already started on dinner of reheated Chinese takeaway from the night before.

“Have you eaten?” Hannah asked him as they walked into the living area. He shook his head no. “Reheated Chinese?”

“Sure,” he replied, slumping wearily down onto the sofa. “Is that really healthy for you though? The baby...”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. I ate almost nothing but...lukewarm chicken korma from this place that ended up getting a…” she faltered as her mouth refused keep pace with the nervous energy she was feeling, “a one-star hygiene rating for the first four months I was pregnant with Liv, and she turned out fine.” Christie continued scowling. “I’m taking three types of prenatal vitamins, OK?” she added, offering him a solid glare.

“Alright, alright, you know best,” he half joked, as she handed him a plate and he began to pick at the food with his fork.

Hannah took a deep breath as she sat down beside him. “Melanie Aickman came to see me today...about Nathan.”

Christie nodded. “I saw him meeting with her this morning.”

“She gave me this,” Hannah flashed the envelope with the paper inside. “She made a big deal about telling me how he’d gone against her advice with it actually.”

“I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad,” Christie said with a frown.

“I wasn’t either, so I opened it and...” she took a breath, “he’s accepting my terms of a 50-50 split with flexible visitation of the kids three weekends out of four.”

Christie put his fork down and sat back in shock. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” Hannah nodded, smiling, “that was pretty much my reaction too. I don’t know what changed his mind but...it means I can finally move forward. _We_ can move forward.” She looked at him steadily. “In fact...I think we should move in together.”

“Really?” he said, his eyes wide. “You don’t think it’s too quick?”

“Do you?” Hannah batted back.

“In theory...but honestly? I’ve been wanting to live in the same house as you again since the moment we left that shitty little flat.” He paused. “What about the kids...”

“They’re...coming round to the idea of you and me more everyday. We’re having a...a _baby_ together,” she gestured vaguely towards her abdomen, “so they’ve got to get used to the idea of you and me.”

“True,” Christie nodded, smiling at hearing Hannah use the term ‘baby’ for the first time instead of the favoured ‘pregnancy’. “Would you want me to move in here or…?”

“The house is going to take some time to sell, but I was thinking we could rent something in the meantime?” Christie nodded, and she paused and looked at him with a worn desperation before she continued, “But I want you to move in here, now, while we find somewhere to rent. I’ve had enough of waiting.”

“Me too,” he agreed, smiling as he cupped her cheek. “I have savings, so when this is sold,” he glanced up at the ceiling, “we can buy something, together, that’s ours.”

Hannah kissed him briefly. “I like that.”

“Me too,” he told her, leaning for another kiss.

Hannah pulled back and adopted an expression of intense thought as she looked at him. “This does mean I’m going to have to clear some wardrobe space for you,” she frowned mockingly. “So many navy suits...”

He raised an eyebrow. “This is coming from a woman with more Mulberry handbags than Selfridges.”

Hannah laughed. “It’s lucky you love me then,” she shrugged jokingly, “because you’re stuck with me now.”

“That,” he leant in and kissed her briefly, before pulling back momentarily to finish the sentence, “is fine with me.”

* * *

“Could you answer that?” Hannah called from the bedroom to Christie, who was in the living area unpacking some books.

“Sure,” he called back, walking to answer the door.

Christie opened the door smiling, but his face fell a little when he saw the person on the other side. Maybe it was baby-brain, but it had slipped Hannah’s mind entirely that a Saturday morning knock at the door usually meant one particular person would be standing on the other side: Nathan.

“Christie,” Nathan acknowledged, after several seconds of uncomfortable silence.

“Nathan,” Christie said, swallowing. “I suppose you’re here to pick up the kids?” Nathan nodded. “Tillie, Vinnie, Liv!” he turned and called up the stairs. “Your dad’s here!”

“Thanks,” Nathan said awkwardly as they waited. “So you’re...”

“Living here now, yeah,” Christie completed the sentence where Nathan left it hanging. “Just for the time being, we’re looking for a place to rent while this is on the market.”

Nathan nodded, pursing his lips.

“Thank you,” Christie ventured, “for what you did; accepting Hannah’s terms...”

“Yeah, it erm seemed…” Nathan paused and cleared his throat, “fair. There was no point making it harder than it needed to be. Hannah needs to move on; the baby...”

“Yeah.” Christie smiled instinctively at the mention of his future offspring, and as much as he wanted to hate him, Nathan couldn’t help be won over by the love he saw overtake his features.

Vinnie and Tillie came running down the stairs, backpacks in hand and zoomed past Christie to be briefly embraced by Nathan before she went to the car. Liv followed next, markedly slower and less joyful than her siblings.

“Well, erm...good luck,” Nathan imparted to Christie, as he turned to leave, “with...everything.”

Christie nodded soundly, knowing that it had taken so much for Nathan to be anything other than minimally tolerant of his presence in Hannah’s life, especially as he was standing in the doorway of what was once Nathan’s home; still, in his surprise, the simple words of, “Thank you,” were the only ones he could get past his lips to express his gratitude.

* * *

Vinnie and Tillie took Christie moving in in their stride; it helped that he was good with them and seemed to know how to make them laugh, not to mention the hours he’d spent bonding with them playing video games. Liv was - naturally - more reluctant to his charms; but given that she already knew Hannah was having his baby, Christie moving it wasn’t much of a surprise to and she got over the teenage sulking phase surprisingly quickly.

Liv and Christie might never be close, but she had come to see that he made her mother happy in small and intimate ways that her father could never quite achieve. Those little touches and gestures seen by Liv showed any careful observer that he worshipped Hannah, and that made her acceptance that much easier.

Moving though, was difficult for all of Hannah’s children. While she was keen to start afresh, she understood that Tillie and Vinnie had spent their entire lives living in that house, and Liv had barely a memory of being elsewhere as they’d moved there when she was a toddler.

The fact that they were renting somewhere while the house was up for sale made things a bit easier; it meant the kids could come back and visit, collect their belongings gradually and mourn the loss of their childhood home in stages.

As she stood in front of the mirror in the bedroom of her newly rented home, Hannah glanced at Christie in the reflection behind her, seated on the bed and reading through some documents he was going to need for court later that morning.

“I’m officially too big for this skirt,” she said, looking down at her failed attempt to close the pencil skirt side zip. It had been more than two months since she’d found out she was pregnant and she was starting to show.

“I’ll buy you a new one,” Christie offered. “It is kind of my fault, after all.” He came behind her and snaked his arms around her waist, his hands resting in their newly familiar spot on Hannah’s slightly swollen abdomen.

“I’m only going to get bigger,” she sighed. “I think it’s going to be trousers with,” she scrunched up her face in disgust, “elasticated waistbands and...wrap dresses for the next few months.”

“I think,” he said, kissing just behind her ear, “you look better in nothing at all.” His lips moved along her jaw.

“Mmmhmm,” she murmured, eyes closing. “I don’t think that would go down very well in board meetings.”

“You’ll just have to save that for me then,” he grinned, his fingers undoing a couple of buttons on her blouse before his hand slid beneath it and inside her bra.

“You,” her breath hitched a little, “are going to make me late,” she protested weakly, eyes still closed as she savoured the sensation of his fingers on her skin.

Christie moved so they were now face to face. “I can be really quick, I promise,” he assured her, mischievous glint in his eye.

He kissed her again - garnering a pleasingly enthusiastic response - and walked her backwards towards the bed, nudging her down onto it as gently as he could.

“You won’t be needing this,” he told her, and with his encouragement she raised her hips and let him slide the skirt down her legs, falling into a pool of fabric on the floor.

Kneeling in front of her, Christie leant forward and pressed his mouth to hers in a deliberate but sloppy kiss. Their lips made a popping sound as, much to Hannah’s displeasure, he pulled away from her mouth to focus his attention elsewhere. Although he had promised her speed, he couldn’t resist building the tension by starting his journey with a kiss to the inside of her ankle - far away from his destination.

“Christie…” she half whispered in frustration, making his torture all the more exquisite. “Please.”

“OK, OK,” he grinned. “I’m getting there.”

His mouth moved higher, and by the time he was so close to where she wanted him that she could feel his breath tickle through her underwear, she was practically squirming out of need. Finally, he hooked in his fingers in the sides of her underwear and she eagerly lifted her hips to let him remove them.

Christie decided that he’d teased her enough for one day, so no sooner was she bare to him that his mouth was on her, licking and sucking in a way he knew from vivid memories of past experience would make her fall apart within seconds.

“See,” he said, watching the beautiful flush fade from her cheeks as she came down, “I told you I could be quick.”

Hannah laughed and bent forward to kiss him lazily. “I might have to let you make me late more often.”

* * *

“My...partner will be here soon, he’s just erm...he’s held up at work,” Hannah told the sonographer as she entered the small hospital room.

“That’s OK, but we won’t be able to wait too long,” she replied to Hannah. “But I can give him five minutes.”

Hannah took a seat on the bed. “Thank you. He texted me to say he was on his way a while ago, so he really should be here soon.”

The sonographer nodded, sitting down next to the ultrasound machine and the computer. “Just to check before we start, you made sure you have a full bladder like the letter said?”

“Yep,” Hannah replied, trying not to think about how much she really needed a wee.

“Perfect. Now, while we’re waiting, let’s get some of this other stuff out of the way.” She turned to the computer and clicked Hannah’s records up on the screen. “So, this isn’t your first pregnancy?”

“No, my erm…my fourth actually,” she said, mildly embarrassed for reasons she was unable to quantify.

“Oh, so you’re an expert!” the 30-something brunette laughed. “So, do you know the first day of your last period?”

“22nd March,” Hannah answered confidently, glad she’d had the foresight to check earlier.

“OK, so that’ll make you...” the sonographer did the mental calculations quickly in her head. “Just 14-weeks.” She frowned. “You’re…” she glanced at Hannah’s records “44?” Hannah nodded in confirmation. “As I’m sure you’re aware, given your age, there is a higher risk of certain genetic conditions.”

“Yes, I...know,” Hannah said, lips pursed in concern.

“Now, we only offer the combined screening test for Down’s Syndrome if this scan takes place before the 14-week mark…” The sonographer paused. “It’s entirely up to you if you want that test at all of course, but if you do, it’ll be a blood test and another ultrasound to measure the level of fluid at the back of your baby’s neck. That can take place anywhere between now and 20-weeks, but you’ll need to make a separate appointment.”

“Right. I...” Hannah’s brow creased in worry, and she suddenly felt overwhelmed. “Can I...think about it?”

“That’s absolutely fine,” the younger woman assured her. “But given waiting times, I’d suggest you decide within the next couple of weeks and let us know if you want to go ahead.”

“OK, thanks.”

A knock on the door was followed by an apologetic Christie.

“Hi,” he said generally. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” he directed to the sonographer, “I got held up at court.”

“I take it you’re a lawyer and not a defendant,” the brunette joked.

“Yeah…” Christie said, eyebrows raised as he glanced at Hannah who shot him a ‘I know’ look. He sat down on the chair that was placed next to the bed.

“If you could just lie on the bed,” the woman directed. “Great,” she assured Hannah, who was now lying down. “Now, if you want to undo your trousers and push them down a little and lift your top up, I’m going to-” she stopped and shook her head. “What am I doing? You must be an expert at this, you’ve done it three times before!”

“Erm, yeah,” Hannah laughed awkwardly, sharing a look with Christie that he recognised as ‘I-can’t-wait-to-get-out-of-here’.

“Here comes the cold part,” the sonographer told Hannah as she applied the ultrasound gel, after tucking paper towels in the waistband and hem of Hannah's trousers and top respectively.

As the lights were dimmed, Christie took Hannah’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Let me just...” While the brunette moved the ultrasound wand around to find what she was looking for, Hannah unconsciously held her breath, and Christie searched the screen eagerly, even if he had no idea what he was looking for. “Oh, there we go,” the woman smiled, and with the flick of a switch, the sound of the heartbeat filled the room.

“Wow,” Christie said, overwhelmed with emotion. “That’s...our baby.” He turned to Hannah, beaming as he clasped her hand in his and brought it to his lips, placing a firm kiss there. “It’s amazing.”

“Yeah,” Hannah replied, feeling surprisingly emotional given this was the fourth time she’d had the ‘first heartbeat’ experience. “It is.”

“Everything looks good?” Christie asked anxiously, squinting at the screen in vain.

“Everything looks...” the sonographer continued to study the screen, “perfect. The size is about what we’d expect for 14-weeks, and the heartbeat sounds strong. If you want to know the sex - as I’m sure Hannah already knows - that’ll be at the next scan in a month or so...”

“We’ve decided to leave it as a surprise,” Hannah said, shooting Christie a look as this had been something of a bone of contention between them. He had initially wanted to know as soon as they could, but Hannah had eventually won him around to the idea of waiting, informing him how Nathan had insisted they find out with her other pregnancies, even as she’d wanted to wait and see.

“Yeah, we want to wait,” he smiled, turning to Hannah as he rubbed his thumb soothingly over the back of her hand.

“Would you like a picture?” the woman asked them.

“Yes,” Christie answered, a little too keenly, “we would.”

Back in Christie’s car, he sat in the driver's seat staring at the blurry black and white ultrasound image, rapt with wonder, and making Hannah’s heart swell.

“It’s just so...incredible.”

“It is,” Hannah agreed.

“That’s...it’s part of me and you,” he turned to her. “I just can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

“Well, you better get used to the idea because in about five-months,” she touched her belly, “there’s going to be a _lot_ of poop and wee and...sick to deal with.”

Christie shrugged, turning to smile broadly at Hannah. “Bring it on.”

* * *

“I hate being pregnant.” Hannah slumped unceremoniously down onto the sofa and kicked off her heels. “Let me tell you, it doesn't get easier with age.”

“You’re glowing,” Christie said, lifting her legs to sit beside her before he began to rub the feet that now rested in his lap.

She shot him a look that said she didn’t believe him. “At the moment, all I feel is...exhausted and I’m not even four months,” she told him truthfully, masking the tiny thrill she got from him describing her in such flattering terms. She pondered for a few seconds, biting her lip, before finally saying what had been on her mind. “Yesterday, at the scan,” she looked down and avoided Christie’s intense gaze, “before you got there, they asked if I wanted the test...for Down’s Syndrome.”

He halted the massage on her feet momentarily and looked at her. “Do you want the test?”

Hannah thought for a moment. “With my age, I’m at a higher risk,” she said, sidestepping the question.

“But do you want to know? Will it make a difference? If you want to, you should do it,” he paused for a second, “but no result will make me love or want our child any less.”

She nodded, telling from his face that Christie truly meant what he said, and realising she felt the same. “Yeah, me neither.” Still, she bit the inside of her cheek as a related worry nagged at her. “Are we actually insane for doing this? We’ll be practically...pensioners,” she cringed, “by the time this baby is doing their A-levels.”

Typically unfazed, Christie shrugged. “Anything can happen to anyone, no matter their age. We’re both healthy, there’s no reason for us not to be around for a while yet. Look at Ruth,” he offered, “she’s still in great health, working and teaching at what, 70?” Hannah nodded as he continued. “Plus, this baby will have a great extended family, she’ll grow up with Nina’s and Rose’s babies.”

“She?” Hannah raised an eyebrow.

“Just a feeling,” he shrugged, ghosting his fingers over her lower abdomen. “You know, we should probably start thinking about names,” he added.

Hannah thought for a second. “I’ve always liked the name Zoe.” She stopped short of adding that Nathan had vetoed it when they were thinking of girls' names; it had also belonged to a someone he’d had a thing for when he was 15, and she had rejected him quite spectacularly.

“Zoe Carmichael,” Christie said, followed by a hum of agreement, “I like it.”

“Who's to say it won’t be Defoe? Or we could hyphenate,” Hannah thought aloud, before she tested the name combinations on her tongue. “Zoe Carmichael-Defoe...Zoe Defoe-Carmichael...”

“You know, there is an easy way to solve this…” he said, trying hard to sound casual. “If we were both Carmichael...”

Hannah stilled and turned to look him in the eye. “You are not proposing to me right now.”

“I’m not,” he said, as Hannah gave him a look of disdain. “OK, I kind of am,” he finally admitted.

“We’ve only just moved in together...” Hannah told him, but the puppy dog eyes he was giving her made her feel the guilty need to explain herself further. “Look, I love you…but marriage, really? I’ve just got out of one, and you've been there before...”

Christie shook his head as he answered, not a second had passed since Hannah had finished speaking. “Not with you. I want this to be forever, I want _us_ to be forever.”

“It is forever.” She kissed him. “But I just can’t think about marriage, not...now.”

“Maybe someday?” he offered.

“Someday,” Hannah agreed, with a gentle nod of her head and a warm smile.

Christie smiled and kissed her. “I’ll take someday.”

* * *

Hannah reached down and brushed her fingers over the smattering of downy hair on the newborn baby’s head. “He’s beautiful,” she told Nina warmly, looking at her exhausted sister as she lay in the hospital bed.

“Yeah, I think he’ll do,” Nina tried to joke, but the utter devotion in her eyes when she looked at her son gave her away.

“Have you decided on a name?”

“I think he’s a Benjamin,” Nina said, glowing with contentment. “Ben for short.”

“Hi Ben,” Hannah cooed at the baby. “Was that Tyler I saw leaving on the way in?” she asked without much thought, still gazing down at Ben.

Nina shifted awkwardly in bed, pulling herself up into more of a sitting position as she pushed her hair back. “Erm, yeah. You know,” she tried transparently to stall, “I’m pretty tired, maybe you should come around tomorrow once I’m at home...”

Hannah turned to read her sisters’ face, knowing her well enough to tell when she was hiding something. “Nina, what is it?”

Nina said nothing, biting her lip. Hannah had seen that face before, when Nina had managed to get caught up in an ill advised relationship with a married man.

Hannah’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Oh Nina, don’t tell me…”

Nina looked on sheepishly.

“I should have asked you, I should have...known,” Hannah rambled, as she fell into blame mode. “I’ve been so wrapped up in my own problems...”

Nina shook her head. “It’s fine.”

“But Tyler, Nina? Seriously?” Hannah brought her hand to her forehead in an expression of disbelief. “This is a new one even for you: a married gay man...”

“He not gay, Hannah,” Nina scowled. “You’re so old fashioned. Sexuality is…” she flicked her wrist, “fluid.”

“Right, of course,” Hannah replied, not in the mood for a lesson on the Kinsey scale. She rubbed at her temple. “How long has it been going on?”

Nina bit her lip. “Since the night of Xander’s stag party.”

Hannah raised her eyebrows, her expression saying everything words couldn’t. “Is it…” her words trailed off as she thought of a stronger question. “Do you love him?”

Nina swallowed. “I…” She looked up at Hannah. “I think I...might?” she said with a grimace, embarrassed to have let herself get in this situation.

“I take it Xander doesn’t know?” Nina confirmed Hannah’s question with a head shake no. “Please tell me you’re not going to come back to the firm...”

“I’ve started looking at other things,” Nina said, tucking her hair behind her ear, “I’ve sent a few emails. I hinted to Xander I might not come back after maternity leave, so I don’t think he’ll be surprised if and when I email him my resignation.”

“That’s good, because if-” Hannah stopped and corrected herself, “ _when_ Xander finds out, he’ll hit the roof. Do you and,” she swallowed to try to more easily force the next part of the sentence up her throat and out of her mouth, “Tyler have any sort of...plans?”

“I kind of wanted to get this whole having-a-baby thing out of the way first,” Nina told her sister, rolling her eyes. “But we’ve talked...a little bit. Tyler knows how hard a divorce will be from Xander.”

“ _Why_ the hell did he continue with the wedding?” It was an obvious question, but still Hannah needed to know the answer.

“It was too difficult for him to back out…” Nina tried to explain, but once she said it out loud it sounded weak even to her ears.

“More difficult than the divorce will be?” Hannah scoffed. “But honestly Nina, getting involved with _Tyler_ of all people, it’s just so irresponsible...”

“Oh, I’m sorry, is that Christie I hear ringing your phone? Maybe he’s calling for decorating advice for your future _baby's_ room in the house you both now live in _together_ ,” Nina said, dripping with sarcasm.

Hannah glowered and shook her head. “It’s not-”

“Are you seriously judging _me_ right now?” Nina cut her sister off. “You cheated on your husband of 20 years with ‘the one that got away’ and now you’re divorced and having his baby!”

Hannah flinched. “Yeah, OK, I’m not one to talk but...it’s such a...mess.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Nina spoke with unvarnished frustration. “I wish to God that I had no feelings for Tyler because then this would all be simple, but you know better than anyone that you can’t choose who you fall in love with.”

Hannah sighed. “Just...be careful. Try and find another job before Xander finds out, you know how word travels…”

Nina nodded. “Tyler and I are being...discreet. I’ll put the feelers out more seriously for a job in a few months. But right now,” she reached her hand out to touch Ben, who balled his tiny hands into fists as he yawned, “I want to soak up as much time with this little man as possible.”

“Yeah,” Hannah agreed, feeling much calmer, in part from the soporific effect of studying Nina with the newborn, “they’re so precious at this age, it goes by so quickly.”

“How are you feeling now, about the prospect of sleepless nights and nappy changes? I know you were unsure at first, but,” she tilted her head in the direction of Hannah’s expanding abdomen, “only another four months to go.”

“I’m…” Hannah stuttered and paused. “I’ll have an internal meltdown thinking about having to express milk before I go to work, or...or even worse, how we’ll manage childcare once we’re _both_ back working, but then…” she sighed and smiled, “then I see the pregnancy...the baby, through Christie’s eyes, and it's so...” she frowned, before finally settling on a word, “pure. It makes me remember all the positives and forget the negatives. He’s so...excited, and then l...I am too.”

“That’s really fantastic,” Nina told her sister, genuine warmth in her words.

“Yeah,” Hannah agreed, “it is.”

* * *

At the eight-month mark, Hannah decided it was time she took maternity leave, even if Christie had been trying to convince her to do it two months prior. “I’ll go mad stuck at home,” she reasoned with him because she knew it was true, she would. She also knew she was pushing herself past her limits, and towards the end of those eight-months, her life consisted of little but bed and work.

She had been home from work for a week, and as predicted, she felt herself going stir crazy. To try and ease the boredom, she arranged to meet Christie for lunch at their usual restaurant of choice. The London tube system was unusually efficient that day and she arrived 30 minutes early, so Hannah decided to go up to Christie’s office and wait for him there. As soon as she’d walked into the reception area, Melanie, who had been talking to the receptionist, turned around and came face-to-face with her.

“Hannah, you’re looking...” Melanie searched for empty superlatives to describe Hannah’s very pregnant state.

“Pregnant,” Hannah told her bluntly. “I know.”

“Here to see Christie I take it?” Somehow, everything the woman said sounded condescending, and it made Hannah wonder how Christie could stand to work with her.

“That’s right,” Hannah nodded. “I’ll just...” she pointed down the corridor to his office and began to walk that way.

“He might be busy,” the receptionist called after her.

“I’ll knock first,” Hannah called back, too desperate to get away from Melanie to consider waiting in reception.

She peered through the small glass window in the door, about to knock, when she caught sight of a head of long blonde hair. The woman was laughing - Hannah would have even gone so far as to say flirting - standing in front of Christie’s desk as he conversed with her, a pleasant smile on his features.

The woman turned to leave, and Hannah moved out of the line of sight.

“I’ll see you next week,” Christie told the woman, as she stood with the door ajar and one foot out.

“Yeah, see you then. Thanks for today,” the youthful looking blonde smiled broadly, before she turned to leave. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, bumping in to Hannah.

“Oh no, it’s...fine,” Hannah told her, the sound of her voice making Christie turn in her direction.

“I thought we were meeting at the restaurant?” he asked, puzzled.

“We were, I just erm...got here a bit early, so I thought I’d come up to see you.”

Christie leant down and gave her a brief kiss. “I’ve just got to finish this,” he motioned to some papers on his desk. “I’ll be with you in five-minutes, tops.”

Hannah nodded. There was quiet while he worked, although her head was loud with thoughts. “She was umm...pretty,” she finally spoke.

“Yeah, I suppose,” Christie shrugged off her words without much thought.

“She seemed pretty...” Hannah swallowed, “pretty friendly with you.”

Christie stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, eyebrow raised. “Hannah, I know where you’re going with this. You’re being...insecure, it’s ridiculous.”

“Ridiculous?” she shot back, surprising herself with the outburst of emotion that came flooding out. “How can I _not_ be insecure? I’m stuck at home; tired, hormonal, and,” she gestured towards her stomach, “massive, while you’re surrounded by 20-year-old...Page 3 lookalikes.”

“You’re beautiful,” he tried to reason with her in all sincerity, but her face told him she wasn’t letting it go that easily. “Hannah, they’re just _clients_. I only want you. I’d never do...that.”

“That’s what I thought about Nathan, but he...he cheated on me. And you...you cheated on Lauren when she was your wife...” She was spiralling.

“Hey, hey,” he calmed her, placing his hands on either side of her shoulders and rubbing soothingly. “Yes, I cheated on Lauren. I fucked up. But it was because I knew I shouldn’t have been with her in the first place and I was too much of a coward to admit that and leave,” he sighed. “I think I was what I’ve heard called ‘self-sabotaging the relationship’.”

Hannah nodded, wetness pricking her eyes. “Yeah,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“I cheated on Lauren because I shouldn’t have been with her. She was not the love of my life, you are.” He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head slightly, making sure she was looking straight into his eyes for the next part. “You are the love of my life, Hannah. No one else even comes close.”

“When did you learn all the right things to say,” she smiled, wiping at the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I love you.”

“And you know,” he said, brow raised and glint in his eye, “I’ve never found you sexier than I do right now.”

Hannah looked at him sceptically. “You have to say that, it’s your baby.”

“You carrying my baby is the most...incredible, and even sexy thing,” Christie spoke with wonder. “You are truly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

“And you,” she touched his face and leant close to him, her breath tickling his cheek, “are a master of flattery.”

“Maybe, but it’s true,” he said with a shrug, before going in for a kiss.

* * *

“I don’t see why we need to do this now,” Hannah complained, as Nina dragged her up the path to their mother’s house. “Her birthday isn’t for another week, can’t we give her the present then?”

“I just think it’s better...” Nina did her best to sound natural, “that she has it...now.”

“Nina,” Hannah questioned her sister as she unlocked the front door, sensing something was up.

“Surprise!” the crowd - led by Ruth and Rose - shouted as Hannah and Nina entered the house. Baby shower balloons and banners covered the hallway and banisters.

“I will murder you,” Hannah muttered under her breath to Nina, as they walked into the living room, which somehow seemed to be even more heavily decked out in celebratory decorations.

“I didn’t have much choice,” Nina mumbled back through tight lips. “Rose said she would never babysit for me again if I didn’t go along with this. Just think about the presents, who doesn’t love presents?”

Hannah just scowled in Nina’s direction.

“Come and sit down!” Ruth called across the room, motioning for Hannah to take a seat next to Rose, who gave Hannah a hopeful smile but got nothing but an icy glare in return.

Glancing around the room, Hannah took note of the guests. It was a small gathering of only about 30 people. There were a few faces she recognised from her uni days, and a couple of Rose’s friends too, but the bulk of the attendees were work colleges - Maggie included - and she wondered how many only came out of obligation.

“Right, first, presents!” Ruth said, with an accompanying enthusiastic clap. “Hannah, you can open this one first.” She placed the gift bag in what remained of Hannah’s lap now her pregnant stomach was taking over.

“Oh, baby grows!” Hannah tried her best to sound enthusiastic. “Thank you,” she peered at the label, “Christine,” she said, nodding and smiling at the woman in question.

“Going mad yet on maternity leave?” Maggie asked Hannah, as she came to stand besides her in the garden later in the day, post-gift opening and cake.

“Oh, you know, there’s only so much ‘Cash in the Attic’ and ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ one person can take,” Hannah told her with a wry smile. “How are things with you, working with Melanie Aickman?”

“Melanie is...Melanie,” she chuckled. “Her wardrobe must be _huge_ , I swear she never wears the same thing twice,” Maggie marvelled. “Aside from Melanie, it’s family law, so you know how it is,” she shrugged, “but I’m getting to take on cases myself now, which is good.”

Hannah nodded. “I’m so sorry my mother dragged you to this. For what it’s worth, I am steadfastly _against_ baby showers and every other awful...American tradition we seem forced to adopt these days.”

Maggie shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s nice to see you again, I’m glad things are going well for you and umm...”

“Christie,” Hannah told her. “It’s OK, you can say it now. It’s not like I can hide it,” she touched her belly, “this is _kind of_ a giveaway.”

“But really,” Maggie told her with an earnest touch to Hannah’s arm, “it’s great to see you two managed to work things out. Christie just worships you. I’ve never seen him as happy as these past few months. He’s going to be the best father.”

“Erm...” Hannah pushed her hair behind her ear, awkward over such truthful and heartfelt words. “Thank you,” she told her former college, in a matching level of sincerity. 

“I think it’s time for me to go and get another one of these,” Maggie said jovially, waving a glass that once contained gin and tonic, but now was little more than a couple of melted cubes of ice.

“God, what I wouldn’t do for a G and T,” Hannah said longingly. “Think about me and saviour it.”

Maggie laughed. “That, I can do, and _probably_ ,” she pretended to think, “with multiple drinks.”

* * *

A typical first time father, Christie was ready to rush Hannah to hospital as soon as her first contraction hit, but having been-there-and-done-that three times before, Hannah knew better.

Her contractions progressed quicker than she remembered in the past, but then she remembered midwives that loved to tell tales of births being faster and faster the higher the number of babies the patient had given birth to previously.

“One more push,” the nurse told Hannah, only two hours after she’d arrived at the hospital, “then your baby will be here.”

And like that, she was out: all eight and a half, screaming, wrinkled and red pounds of her.

“You’ve got a beautiful baby girl,” the nurse congratulated. “Would you like to cut the cord?” she asked Christie, who had stood diligently at Hannah’s side through the whole thing, not even complaining when she gripped his fingers so hard he feared he would never regain the feeling.

Overwhelmed by the moment and unsure if he should stay at Hannah’s side or move to see his new daughter, he looked at Hannah, who gave him a smiling nod of approval. “Yes,” he finally told the nurse, taking the scissors and doing his duty, in awe of the new life that he’d had part in creating.

“Here we go,” the nurse said, handing the baby to her mother after giving her a quick check over and clean-up. Hannah had already had the foresight to push her gown down, so the nurse placed the baby straight on the exposed area of her chest.

“She’s healthy?” Christie asked the nurse, only just remembering that there was something he should be worried about.

The nurse nodded. “Nothing I can see at this point to say otherwise. Ten fingers and ten toes.”

He gave a sigh of relief, before turning to Hannah and his daughter. “She’s beautiful,” he beamed down at the baby.

“She’s...blonde,” Hannah chuckled - teary eyed as endorphins ran through her system - as she brushed her hand over the sparse hair on the baby’s head, “which I think is...all you,” she told Christie, giving him an odd sense of pride.

“Something so beautiful has got to be at least 95 percent you,” he joked lightly, even as he, like Hannah, felt teary eyed. They spent a few seconds just gazing at the baby, who squirmed before settling down again on Hannah’s chest. “I didn’t know it was possible to be so...in love with someone so quickly.”

“Yeah,” she kissed the baby’s head, “it’s amazing... _she’s_ amazing.”

* * *

Rose went into labour six days after Hannah. Her delivery didn’t go as smoothly as her oldest sister’s however, and after nearly 24-hours of contractions that didn’t progress as they should, it was decided a caesarean was the best option.

Her daughter, who she and James decided to name Emma, came into the world weighing healthy seven pounds ten ounces.

“I can’t stay too long,” Hannah told her sister, when she visited her a couple of hours after Emma arrived, “Christie is on his own with Zoe for the first time. He says he’s got the hang of changing nappies, but I’m not so sure…”

Rose laughed. “I cannot picture _Christie_ changing nappies. Actually, I can’t believe he's a _father_.” She shook her head. “But then, I can’t believe I’m finally a mother either,” she said, looking over to where her daughter was sleeping peacefully.

“Yeah, it takes some getting used to. After Liv was born,” Hannah began her confession, “I was fine until Nathan went back to work and left me alone with her. I had this massive freak out that I was solely responsible for this...life. I rang mum, who had to drop everything and come over to...to talk me down.” She shook her head, smiling ruefully. “I never did tell Nathan.”

“You’re not making me feel full of confidence here, Hannah,” Rose frowned.

“It’s different for you,” Hannah said, with an accompanying eye roll, “you’ve got the support of me and Nina, and you’re _so_ good with kids. You were _born_ to be a mother. I’d never so much as changed a nappy or...sterilized a baby bottle before Liv. There were all these little things I had no clue about, but you’ve been around so many babies.”

Rose bit her lip and looked at a sleeping Emma with worry on her face. “I’m just worried it’ll be different since she’s mine.”

“You’ll be great,” Hannah insisted confidently, “you’ve got all the important practical stuff down.”

Rose finally conceded, nodding. “How’s it going with Zoe?”

“Good...tiring, but good. Looking after a baby at 44 is a whole different thing to 34.” She took a breath. “Christie though, is loving every second of it,” she gave a reflexive smile as she spoke. “I think he’s actually looking _forward_ to me going back to work so he can have her all to himself.”

Rose screwed up her face in bewilderment. “It’s so weird. He’s...Christie, I never pictured him as the paternal type.”

“Me neither, but ever since I told him I was pregnant, he’s just been...” Hannah tried to find the right words, gesturing with her fingers spread, palms open and facing upward as she thought. “Amazing,” she said, dropping her arms, after deciding it was the only word that could communicate what she wanted to say. 

“I’m glad this is working out for you,” Rose smiled at her sister. “Despite the amount of time you spend _beating_ yourself up over everything, you deserve to be happy, and to be with the person you love.”

“Thank you,” Hannah told her, close to shedding a tear as wetness pricked at the back of her eyes. 

* * *

“Did the kids get off to school alright?” Hannah asked Christie, as she rushed into the kitchen.

“Yep, completed homework and all,” he assured her, while he gave Zoe her bottle.

“I can’t believe I overslept,” Hannah continued, hastily grabbing a piece of toast from the kitchen counter as she secured an earring with her other hand. “You should have woken me!”

“You looked so peaceful,” Christie replied. “Plus, you didn’t get to sleep until late and I feel kind of responsible…”

“You _are_ responsible,” she told him, flashing him a devilish look. “I’m beginning to think we need a ‘no sex on work nights’ rule.”

“What would be the fun in that?” he scoffed playfully. “Anyway, it's not my fault if you’re so irresistible.”

“Hmm,” Hannah said dryly through a mouthful of toast, attempting a look of disdain that turned into one of amusement when she locked eyes with Christie.

“Say goodbye to mummy,” Christie picked Zoe up and held her towards Hannah, who dropped the remains of the toast onto a plate and kissed her baby daughter’s head.

“You be good for daddy,” she told her. “No being sick on his favourite t-shirt again today,” she added, laughing slightly as she made eye contact with Christie.

“Daddy,” he remarked sarcastically, “has definitely learned his lesson about not wearing anything he doesn’t want covered in sick or poop about around this little one.”

Zoe gazed up, completely oblivious to what her parents were saying.

It was the start of Hannah’s second week back at work, and much to her initial surprise, Christie had taken to the role of stay-at-home dad like a duck to water. He had devoured numerous books on parenting, and was putting their tips to good use. He had Zoe on a sleeping schedule, which meant she didn’t nap too much in the day, so she was sleeping well at night. He had become a pro at sterilising and heating bottles, and Hannah swore when she’d given her daughter her bath the other day she’d seen disappointment in her eyes that she wasn’t Christie.

“The milk is in the fridge,” Hannah said, backpack on as she grabbed her handbag. “I think I expressed enough, but if not-”

“I can use the powdered stuff,” he interjected. “I know.”

“Right, OK,” she said, flustered as she opened the door. “I’ll see you later, I shouldn’t be late tonight. I love you,” Hannah said, giving Christie a quick goodbye kiss.

“Love you too,” he smiled, holding Zoe up slightly and waving her hand goodbye.

Hannah blew Christie and Zoe a kiss as she closed the door. She smiled warmly to herself, certain that her daughter couldn't be in more loving hands.

“Now little one,” Christie said tenderly to his daughter, in the now peaceful house. “What do you say we take a trip to the park today?” Zoe just gurgled in response. “I think I’m going to take that as a yes,” he chuckled, bending to place a gentle kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Zoe was nearing six months old by the time Christie and Hannah found the right house for them to put solid roots down with. The Victorian built terrace had five bedrooms (one of which was a converted attic space), which meant ample room should all the children be there at once. The newly renovated kitchen was fresh, but still inviting and warm, while the two bathrooms (one main and one ensuite) were fresh and airy.

Naturally, Hannah and Christie took the master bedroom which - much to Hannah’s joy - had a large walk-in wardrobe area, so there was plenty of space for her to indulge her love of fashion. Of course, she let Christie have a section too, even if his clothing collection wasn’t quite on her level.

While it may have seemed odd to have invited her ex-husband to the housewarming party for her the home she’d bought with the lover she’d cheated on him with - and now even had a baby with - it felt like the natural thing for Hannah to do. Much to her surprise, she and Nathan had become more and more friendly over the past few months, which was a great relief given they could now talk without slipping into tense words everytime the kids were handed over.

“This is a nice place,” Nathan commented as he sipped on his champagne.

“Thanks, we like it.”

“The karaoke machine,” he pointed across the room, amusement on his face, “is a nice touch.”

Hannah chuckled. “It was...Christie’s idea. I said I hated it, but actually…” she lowered her voice to almost a whisper, “I’m dying to have a go.”

Nathan nodded and laughed, the air becoming a little stilted between them. “You know…” he said with trepidation, “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I actually think it’s all worked out how it should have,” he told Hannah. “You, Christie, the baby...it’s the way things were meant to be.”

Hannah's expression softened as she looked at him, reminded of the man she had loved, had children with, and shared her life with for 25 years. “I think you’re right,” she nodded, tears eyed, “but we had some good times too, and we made some great kids. I can’t regret that.”

Nathan nodded with empathetic stoicism. “Yeah.”

“Hey,” Chloe said, nudging him to get his attention. “I’m going to head off, I’ve got an early start tomorrow.”

“Just let me get my coat,” Nathan said, placing his drink down, his hand settling comfortably on Chloe’s lower back.

“You don’t have to go too,” Chloe insisted, her face inches from Nathan’s.

“No, I should go anyway,” he told her, and Chloe got the relieved look only brought from a partner who anticipates your wants and needs before you do. “It was...nice seeing you, Hannah.”

“You too.”

“Hey,” Christie said, as he appeared by her side and rested a hand on her waist. “How was Nathan?”

“Good, actually.” Hannah smiled, as she leant into the easy familiar Christie’s touch. “I was sceptical about Chloe, she’s so young, but...they seem happy. He seems happy.”

“I’m glad,” Christie replied, a genuine settled and peaceful happiness in his voice. “I’m really happy too.”

“Oh yeah?” Hannah turned to look at him, playfulness on her features. “How so?”

“Well, I’ve got this beautiful daughter, a great new house, a good job to go back to...” he drew out his words, minus any mention of Hannah, deliberately to make a point. “And, there’s this woman I live with, she’s pretty great.”

“Hmm, tell me more,” Hannah egged him on playfully.

“I don’t know what she thinks, but I think she’s kind of the love of my life,” he turned to her and brushed her hair behind her ear. “And just between you and me,” he continued in hushed tones, before moving his mouth directly to her ear, “one day, I’m going to ask her to marry me again, and I think she’s going to say yes.” He pulled back and measured her expression.

“I think...” Hannah responded carefully. “I think that one day,” she brushed her fingers over his jaw, “she is going to say yes. But right now?” she affected a guise of contemplation. “Now, I think it’s time we got over there and showed them the _real_ way to do drunken karaoke to 90s Brit-pop.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Christie laughed, leaning in to kiss her briefly.

Christie’s arm slung over Hannah’s shoulder, the pair went off to spend the night giggling, singing off key and getting the lyrics wrong. When the party was finished, the guests had all gone home, and kids tucked into their beds, they lay down beside each other ready to take on any challenges life might throw their way. Moving forward, together.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no immediate plans for any more fic with these two, but in truth, that could easily change should I feel inspired in some way. But thank you for reading! Comments and/or kudos are always very welcome. Finally, you'll find me on Tumblr [here](http://lovepollution.tumblr.com). :)


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